Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff Writer
Students at Zia Elementary School explored a variety of career fields Wednesday as parents and community leaders visited the school for their annual career day.
The rain put a damper on some outside equipment exploration, but police officers, bankers, farmers, prosecutors, and medical personnel brought their knowledge inside to the classrooms to engage with the kids.
“They are excited about it,” said third grade teacher Carole Howard. “They have lots of questions for them and (it) opens up the door to see why we teach what we are teaching.”
State Police Sgt. Michael Forgue and Patrolman Mark Quintana visited Howard’s third grade class to speak to the students about being a police officer and how to prepare for it.
As soon as Forgue asked “Who is interested in being a cop,” almost every hand in the room shot up.
Although the kids fired off a variety of questions like they were holding a press conference, Forgue didn’t miss a beat. He addressed everything from donuts and bow and arrow use to police academy training and participating in a stakeout.
“I like to see how excited they get,” Forgue said. “They love to ask a whole bunch of questions on various topics, you never know what you’re going to get.”
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Terah Clifford from the 27th SOMDG visited Elizabeth Ledesma’s kindergarten class to talk about what she does as a dental hygienist in the Air Force.
The kids were wide-eyed as she showed them pictures of healthy and unhealthy teeth, and one student could not wait to put his hand up to shout “Whose teeth are those?”
Clifford also listened to the kids share stories about losing teeth, and explained to them the importance of dental hygiene in preventing “cavity bugs.”
“Kids are always excited to learn about teeth, and they have interesting stories to tell you,” Clifford said.
A couple of students asked why she was wearing an Air Force uniform, and she explained to them the benefits of joining the military to get an education in various career fields.
